Winter's Tale
by dovahkiidding
Summary: Queen Elsa of Arendelle was slowly getting ahold of her powers and striking up an unexpected romance when a curse ultimately took everything away from her. Now, Elizabeth Snow must learn to break out of her shell and let people in. (Set during Season 1) Elsa x Jack Frost.
1. The Meeting

**A/N: Hey, everyone! So, after a long and stressful year, my muse has returned and I've decided to pick up a couple of my old projects rather than starting new ones.**

 **I started writing this one before the fourth season of _Once Upon a Time_** **before life got a bit hectic. You all know what happened by now, but I'm going to write this story based on the idea that I had before the fourth season premiere.**

 **If you read this story before I scrapped it, you'll know that I had it under the Crossover section because Elsa and co. were not part of the character selections. Obviously, that's changed since then, so I have it under the Once tag.**

 _ **This story takes place during the first curse. This first chapter is basically taking place at the same time as the first episode of**_ **Once.**

 **If you don't ship Jelsa (Elsa x Jack Frost from _Rise of the Guardians_ ) then this might not be the story for you.**

 **Disclaimer: This story is mine, but the characters in it are not.**

* * *

 _The cries of an infant filled the castle's eastern corridor just as the sun had begun to set over the fjord. Young Elsa had been accustomed to this routine in the past four months since Anna's birth – the baby would stay quiet all day and stay up all night, resulting in a very irritable queen and nursemaid the next day._

 _There was a ball tonight, however, and Elsa was in charge of watching Anna and warning the nursemaids when the young babe began to cry while they scrambled about to make sure things were perfectly in order._

 _At four years old, Elsa usually kept her distance for fear that one of the maids would warn that she might hurt the baby or get her sick if she got too close. But tonight, Elsa sat by the window of Anna's bedroom, watching the gentle fall of snow over the palace's large courtyard, and drew on the fogged glass with her fingers, stopping when she heard the sure signs of a fussy Anna._

 _Elsa scrambled over to Anna, pulling her small chair along with her and propping it beside her little sister's crib. She climbed onto it and gripped the elaborate railing, decorated with small paintings of Arendelle's crocus flower. The young princess gave Anna a stern look as the infant stared up at her with wide blue eyes brimming with tears. Anna's lip quivered, but Elsa held a finger out, stopping the baby immediately._

" _Anna, not tonight. Mama and Papa are seeing guests."_

 _The baby merely stared back at her with a blank expression and flailed, making fussy noises and cooing. Elsa rested her chin upon the railing and pursed her lips._

" _You'll learn, Anna. You can't always cry to get what you want. You're going to see that everyone expects a lot from you. They're going to tell you there are things a princess should and shouldn't do. Crying is one of them. Or…"_

 _Elsa shrugged, holding her hand out as Anna stared intently. A small, radiant globe began to form just over her palm, swirling in an orb of light and dark blues and whites before making a faint_ swoosh _sound and releasing a burst of tiny, glowing snowflakes over Anna's crib._

 _That made Anna flail and squeal with joy, and Elsa smiled._

" _You like that? I'm glad. No one else does."_

 _Elsa froze when she heard a faint tapping against the window and glanced over to see where it was coming from. The fogged glass she'd drawn on was now completely fogged over, no doubt a result of the ongoing cold temperature, and the young girl's shoulders slumped in relief when she realize the sound must have been nothing._

" _Stay here, Anna…I'll go get nanny."_

 _She hopped off her chair and stopped once more at the same faint tapping sound. This time, Elsa approached the window, gasping when some invisible force on the other side began to trace over the snowy glass, mimicking the small flower she'd drawn earlier. Elsa tilted her head to the side and held her small hand out, placing it just below the drawing and pulling it back, revealing a small handprint underneath it. She waited a moment for something to happen and watched with wide eyes as a handprint formed just beside hers. This one was much larger, however, so it couldn't have possibly formed as a result of her own power._

 _Elsa immediately reached up, unlocked the window and pulled it open, uncaring about the gust of winter air that filled the room all of a sudden. That was another thing her parents worried about – her apparent immunity to the winter cold._

 _The young girl climbed on the windowsill and held on tightly, looking around and calling out, "Hello?"_

 _She huffed when no one answered and leaned forward to see if there was anyone on the courtyard below her. "Hel—" Elsa cried out when she lost her grip on the windowsill as another gust of wind blew inside and began to tilt back, only to be stopped by some invisible force inside the room. Instead of screaming, she merely lay there still as the force held her before placing her on her feet and shutting the window behind her. Elsa waved her small hands in front of her, "Hello? I know someone's there!"_

 _That's when a form began to materialize before her. At first, she saw a bit of messy white hair tucked inside a hooded shirt. His face came next. A boy – or a man, Elsa guessed, because he was much taller than her. He had light blue eyes like her, she noted, and a friendly smile that kept her from running out the door in the first place. In all, she thought he was quite lovely to look at despite his ragged pants and bare feet. They were the first things she addressed, pointing down._

" _You're going to catch a cold, sir."_

 _The man seemed surprised and laughed, which made Elsa huff and plant her hands on her hips. "It's not funny. I'm serious."_

 _He kneeled in front of her and rested one arm on his knee while his other hand held onto a staff made of wood. "I can't catch a cold, little one. So…you can see me, can you?"_

 _Elsa nodded, throwing her hands up as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Of course I can see you!"_

 _That made him laugh even more as he bowed his head, "Well, that's good to hear. Will you tell me your name, little princess?"_

" _I'm Princess Elsa of Arendelle, but my nanny tells me I'm not allowed to talk to strangers."_

" _Fair enough," The stranger smiled, nodding, "I'm no regular stranger, and I promise you're safe with me. You can say I'm a spirit of winter, of sorts. And I came by because I felt another presence producing winter magic…that was you, wasn't it?"_

 _Elsa nodded, tucking her hands behind her back, "Yes, sir. But my mama and papa tell me to be careful because I can hurt someone. No one likes my powers." Her face fell then and she looked down at her feet._

" _Well, I think you're doing a great job. And I'm here to help you…guide you, even, whenever you need me. All you have to do is say my name while holding this."_

 _He held his palm out and a similar orb to the once Elsa produced earlier appeared. But instead of bursting, it formed a small crocus made of ice._

" _I've never met anyone, much less a child, who can do what I do. Well…not exactly what I do, but you're a special one, little Elsa."_

 _Elsa reached out and took the flower and examined it. It was cold to the touch, but showed no signs of melting whatsoever. She grinned and nodded, "I will call you if you teach me to make something pretty like this!"_

" _Perfect!" he said, reaching out to ruffle her hair before standing up and making his way toward the window. He opened it and glanced back, repeating his instructions "All you have to do is say my name: Jack Frost."_

* * *

"The kids should be out of school soon, Chris. If I don't have this store open and ready, they'll be rioting at the door!"

"Sheesh, Ellie. Calm down. It isn't as thought you haven't been doing this forever," her co-worker called out from the back room, appearing with a couple of cone sleeves and stocking them in their designated places, by size. "You should really get some help around here."

" _You're_ my help around here."

"Yeah, but I'm the back room guy. If you want me to stick around and help with the kids, you know I'm always willing."

"And I appreciate the offer, but I've got it. _Really_."

Chris gave her a reprimanding look as Ellie counted her drawer and shut it, locking it in place with a key. Ellie glanced back at the blond male and shook her head, moving around the counter to unlock the doors and prop them open, sighing as a soft breeze blew in, signaling that fall would be coming sooner than she anticipated. Still, rain or shine, summer or winter, there were always children filing into her ice cream shop after school.

"Right on time," Ellie said, turning and making her way back toward the counter and readying her ice cream scoops, nudging Chris away. "Thanks for your help, Chris. I've got it from here."

"Haven't you heard what I just said? You haven't had a day off in goodness knows how long, and you refuse to hire help. I mean, this place makes enough money. I just don't want to see you work yourself to deat—"

" _Chris_!" Ellie interrupted before taking a deep breath and composing herself, "I'm fine. I've got this. Now, go do your homework or something."

"I graduated high school last year and most of my college classes don't assign homework," Chris muttered, grabbing his bag and making his way out of the old ice cream shop that had once belonged to Ellie's parents. "I'll see you later."

Snowy Creamery had been standing since before Ellie Snow was even born. Her parents managed to make a great reputation for themselves when locals named Snowy the best ice cream shop in town. They would have claimed it was the best in the state, but no one ever seemed to have the guts to leave good ol' Storybrooke in the first place. Their only daughter, Elizabeth, was born when they were still quite young, but they managed to do a great job at raising her, alongside Chris – whose late parents were family friends.

However, their untimely deaths had affected the entire community. Everyone showed up at the funeral. Ellie was eighteen at the time, so she was able to watch over her fifteen-year-old foster brother without having to hand him over to the state. Ellie saw to it that the ice cream shop stayed open no matter what, dropping out of her senior year and spending morning and night at the shop, taking care of finances, orders and maintenance on her own. Chris offered to help countless times, but Ellie insisted he focus on school instead.

The two had grown apart as a result of Ellie's dedication. No one seemed to understand that if she didn't stop, she would lose herself entirely.

Two hours later, Ellie sat back and sighed as the last child made their way to a small booth with his small rocky road. She still had about two hours before the store closed, but now that rush hour was over for the most part, she'd spend the rest of the night tidying up and placing orders before locking up at seven and heading to her apartment for some quality time with her kitten, Marshmallow.

Maybe she'd work on a small ice sculpture or two, she thought as she rinsed off a few ice cream scoops and placed them back in a small cup filled with fresh hot water. She'd been drafting a few possible ideas for her hobby, and she felt her skills had improved to where she'd be able to hire work for the ice cream shop after all and offer up freelance ice sculptures for parties and events.

Ellie tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and washed her hands when a deep voice behind her made her jump.

"Hello. I'd like to order."

"Yeah, sure!" She said, turning around and offering a polite smile. Oh, wow, this man was handsome, she thought. He was dressed professionally, in a pair of slacks and a white button-up shirt with a blue tie to pull the look together. He held what looked like a coat draped over his arm. It was still a little warm for those, she noted, but she assumed his job called for the outfit. His eyes were an alarming blue and his hair was slicked back and was so blonde it almost looked white. Ellie's own hair had always been a little light for her taste, and even made her appear a little too pale, but this man definitely made the look work.

"What can I get for you today, sir?"

"Oh, the usual."

Ellie stared at him with a scoop in her hand and knit her brows together, "Er…do you come here often?"

The question drew a surprised look from his face before he let out a chuckle and nodded, "Yes. Everyday, in fact. Usually during the rush, so I'm sure faces get a little blurry at one point."

"Oh…oh! I'm so sorry, Mr….."

"Winters. But that's what my students call me. You can call me Jake."

Ellie nodded and smiled, "What'll it be, Mr….uh, Jake?"

"A mint chocolate chip cone," he answered, keeping his gaze on her as she fumbled with her scoop a couple of times before scooping some of the ice cream into a large cone.

"Good choice. My parents had a secret recipe for these. I think you just had the last bit," Ellie rambled, sticking a spoon on top of the ice cream and handing him the cone with a couple of napkins.

"Well, lucky me…" His blue eyes continued to burn into hers, and soon she felt a little strange just standing there awkwardly.

"You know what? Why don't you have that one on the house. I'm sure I could use a little work on my customer service if I can't even recognize a regular."

Jake chuckled and nodded, "Thank you, I appreciate it. I'd offer you a little something in return, but I'm afraid all I've got is basic math and science and how to build a solar system in a shoebox."

Ellie laughed and shook her head as she pulled a rag out of her apron and moved around the counter to wipe a few tables down, "Hey, it's okay. I'll let you know if I'm building a volcano anytime soon. Science was never my best subject."

"Or maybe we can meet tomorrow morning for breakfast at Granny's? On me, of course."

She froze mid-wipe then and clenched her fingers over the rag before clearing her throat and turning to look at him, "Oh…I mean. I have to open tomorrow, but…"

"No, she doesn't!" A cheerful voice called out from the front door. Chris made a beeline toward Mr. Winters, holding his hand out and shaking the teacher's enthusiastically as he spoke, "I'm actually opening _for_ her, so she should be free. Goodness knows she needs a day off."

"Great!" Jake said, nodding at Chris as he made his way out, "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then!"

Ellie waited for the man to walk out before tossing the rag onto a nearby table and shouting, "What the hell?"

"You'll thank me for this, boss. I know how to open the store, so try not to think about it while you're on this date."

Ellie managed to mumble a few exasperated words under her breath, but supposed a coffee wouldn't kill her.

Finally, at seven, she shut the doors and locked up when something made her pause. She squinted and looked out the glass windows, spotting the clock tower over the old library. It was exactly seven o'clock.

"That's funny. When did that old thing start working?"

Chris followed her gaze, "Oh, this morning, I think. It's nice to see Mayor Mills finally ordered a repair on it. I always forget my watch."


	2. A Little Fun

_"Elsa? Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

 _"Go away, Anna," the young girl called back, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared out her window and watched ships sail across the fjord._

 _"Okay, bye," came Anna's quiet reply._

 _Elsa let out a soft sigh and waited for her sister's footsteps to fade before jumping away from her window and scurrying toward the door, opening it just a crack to have a quick glimpse outside her room. While she refused to play with Anna and risk hurting her again, she couldn't deal with not being able to see her sister until she got her powers under control. Until then, she'd just watch her little sister walk away, wishing she could run after her and shout, "YES! Let's go build a snowman!"_

 _A few seconds later, she shut the door and made her way toward her bed. She felt underneath her pillow until she found what she was looking for: a small ice sculpture of Arendelle's crocus flower. In the years she had it, it remained cold to the touch and showed no signs of melting._

 _Elsa closed her eyes and hugged the flower close, inhaling deeply before breathing out and whispering the name: "Jack Frost."_

 _Nothing happened at first. Elsa looked around to see if he was hiding and jumped back when a plume of smoke appeared in front of her, growing in size before fading slowly and revealing the man in question behind it._

 _"Jack!"_

 _"Hey there, little princess," he bowed deeply and looked up at her with a cheeky grin, "Long time no see."_

 _"I did a terrible thing!" Elsa blurted._

 _That got his attention. Jack sat on the carpeted floor in front of her, his legs crossed and staff resting on his lap, "Is everything all right?"_

 _She shook her head and looked down, "I did something terrible."_

 _Jack tilted his head to the side, waiting for her to continue._

 _"Anna and I were playing and I hurt her. Now papa thinks I should learn to control my powers." She held her hands up as tears brimmed her eyes. Small globes began to form over her palms. "See?! I'm not doing it on purpose!"_

 _"Hey, there. It's okay," Jack said softly, taking her hand in his. Immediately, the globes faded and she sniffled before giving him a small smile. "You're controlling it just fine."_

 _"I can't help it when I get sad or scared, though."_

 _"Then we shouldn't give you a reason to be sad or scared, right?" Jack stood up and gave his staff a wave. A few white sparks shot upward and exploded into snowflakes – no different than what Elsa had done the night before._

 _"Come on, little princess. Let's have a little fun. What do you wanna do?"_

 _Elsa thought for a moment as she watched the snowflakes hit the soft carpet before her eyes lit up and she asked, "Can we build a snowman?"_

* * *

"Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"

Ellie had managed to tug her sweater halfway on when she heard Chris's voice behind her. She pushed her arms in through the sleeves and tugged the thin cotton material down so it rested just above her waistline. She shrugged as she examined herself in the mirror: same jeans, tank top and sweater combo she usually wore.

"How did you get in my apartment?"

"I still have the keys from that time you wanted me to watch Marshmallow."

Elsa grumbled as the cat in question hissed at Chris. "Getting ready for work. I've gotta count inventory and-"

"Oh, no you don't!" Chris shouted, pushing Ellie's bedroom door open and heading straight toward her closet and began shifting outfits here and there, "You can't just turn down a coffee date with this guy – I mean, when's the last time you've _been_ on a date? He's a teacher, right? You've probably got about an hour before school starts. I'll take care of inventory."

Ellie blinked at Chris's words, realization hitting her. "Oh…"

The blond stopped rifling through Ellie's closet long enough to spin around and stare at her wide-eyed, "Don't tell me you forgot."

"I forgot."

He mumbled a few incoherent words and tossed a baby blue cotton dress at Ellie. It was a simple thing with a band wrapped around the waist to let it flare out at the bottom and thin spaghetti straps. Ellie held it up and glanced back at Chris.

"It's getting a little cold for thi—hey!" She shouted as a white cardigan hit her face. "Fine. I'll change if you get out, but I'll make it back to the store for inventory. When on earth did you become a fashionista?"

"I didn't. I'm taking a shot in the dark and assuming this is a decent choice."

Chris kicked a pair of white flats her way as he made his way out of the room and waved a hand dismissively, "You're welcome. If I see you anywhere near the store before eight thirty, I'm locking up. Just think of the children, Ellie. They'll be heartbroken if they can't get their ice cream."

* * *

"Well, look who it is. I never thought I'd see you again, Elizabeth."

Ellie smiled weakly at Mrs. Lucas's greeting as she stepped into her diner. A few people turned to look at her before preoccupying themselves with their breakfasts. She gave the place a quick once-over but saw no Jake, which made her wonder whether she should just turn around and head to Snowy despite Chris's threat; but it would be embarrassing to just turn back now, she acknowledged, so she made her way toward a bar stool.

"Anything I can get you, dear? A coffee?"

"Oh, no, thanks. A hot chocolate would be great, though."

"Coming right up," Mrs. Lucas smiled, setting down a breakfast plate and ringing the small bell for Ruby to come pick it up. She then grabbed a white mug and began fixing up Ellie's drink, "So, what brings you here? I never thought you'd leave that ice cream shop. Really, dear, you're going to work yourself to death."

Ellie smiled weakly and folded her hands on the counter, twiddling her thumbs idly as she glanced at the clock, "You sound like my brother."

"Then I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees it."

She shrugged and straightened her spine, "I'm fine. My parents wouldn't want to see all their hard work go to waist."

"No," Mrs. Lucas agreed, "But I'm sure your parents wouldn't want to see their only daughter work herself to death, either."

Ellie blinked, unsure of what to say until a deep voice behind her interrupted the brief silence.

"Sorry I'm late! Hey, you look really nice."

She turned her head and smiled awkwardly at Jake as he took a seat beside her and greeted Mrs. Lucas. The old woman set a mug of what looked like black coffee down in front of Jake, "I was just about to toss this out."

She then handed Ellie her hot chocolate and gave her a knowing look before glancing back at Jake briefly and turning away to take a phone call. Ellie felt herself blush a little. Was it that obvious?

She cleared her throat and addressed his earlier compliment, "Thank you. You look really nice as well," she added, noting the slacks and blazer he donned over a white button-up shirt.

"Thanks. Gotta look the part, you know?" He laughed, adjusting his tie; "I was never a suit guy."

"Yeah, well, I'm not much of a dress girl," Ellie countered, taking a sip of her hot chocolate, and setting it down quickly to add on, "I mean, I guess today was good…dress-in-a-dress kind of day…"

Crappy save. She didn't want him to think she wore the damn thing just because of him.

 _Although technically, she did._

She gestured around the diner to change the subject, "So, you come here a lot."

"Yes, usually mornings. Then I head over to your place once school lets out. I'll admit, I was hoping you'd notice me a lot sooner than just yesterday."

Ellie's brows shot up at that statement and she spun her mug in its saucer nervously, "Oh, well, I just get a little…distracted. I see tons of people everyday."

"Is it nice to get a break for once?"

"Yeah, I guess," She pursed her lips, "You're very…observant, aren't you?"

He chuckled, shrugging as he brought the mug of black coffee to his lips, "I'm a teacher. It's what I do. Observe and report."

"Hey, Mr. Winters!"

They both turned in their seats at the sound of a young boy's voice. Henry Mills, Ellie recognized. She didn't know the name of most of her young customers, but there was no mistaking the Mayor's son. He was standing beside a pretty blonde woman whom Ellie didn't recognize. Storybrooke was fairly small, and she was sure she'd met just about everyone.

 _Except Jake_ , she reminded herself.

"Oh, hey, Ellie! Finally taking a break from that ice cream shop?" She'd always known Henry as the shy type – sitting away from the other children while he claimed his own booth and ate his ice cream in peace. Today, though, he seemed rather audacious and outspoken. Ellie wondered whether it had to do with the woman beside him.

Ellie's face fell at his statement and she let out an exasperated sigh, "Even the kids notice?"

"Well, it's true," Henry defended, looking up at the blonde, "Seems like a lot's changed in a couple of days. The town clock's working again and Ellie's out of her ice cream shop."

"Okay, kid, let's get you to school," the blonde replied sternly before turning back toward Ellie and Jake, "Sorry to be rude. My name's Emma."

"Elizabeth Snow, but you can call me Ellie," she replied with a warm smile as Jake introduced himself beside her.

"She's my real mom," Henry added.

"Oh…wow," Jake said, his smile never faltering, "Well, isn't that something?"

Emma gave them an apologetic smile and placed her hand on Henry's shoulder, ushering him toward the front door, "It was nice meeting you. Come on, kid."

They watched the two go before Jake glanced at the clock overhead and sighed, "Is that the time? If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind if we met again?"

Ellie stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head, "No, not at all, actually."

"Great!" Jake grabbed his briefcase and thanked Mrs. Lucas for the coffee; "I can walk you to your shop if you'd like."

"No, it's all right. Chris threatened to keep the shop closed if I got back too early."

"It's a sign. You should start taking it easy, Miss Snow," he said, backing away toward the front door and never taking her eyes off her, "Have a little fun once in a while."

Ellie stayed quiet and waved as he made his way out before dropping it onto her lap and realizing he was right.

When she thought about it, it felt like several years had gone by since she took over the shop instead of just three. Since her parents' death, she worked open to close everyday without a second thought.

Henry's comment replayed in her mind over and over again, and she realized he was right. A lot _had_ changed in just two days.


	3. Changes

_The castle was filled with an eerie silence as everyone retired to their rooms following the funeral. Elsa hadn't fully accepted the possibility that her parents might be dead. Kings and Queens don't just die like that, she'd assured herself. "Lost at sea" didn't automatically mean they were dead, after all, and Elsa had another three years to plan search parties before the burden of ruling Arendelle rested on her cold hands._

 _She didn't attend the funeral. She couldn't have even if she wanted. Years of perfecting the art of control seemed all for naught in the few seconds it took for her mind to register the news, and to make matters worse, she'd forgotten her gloves. All it took was a familiar a tingly sensation at her fingertips to warn that she needed to return to her room before she did something she'd regret._

 _From her window – now frosted over – she was able to spot the gathering just barely, and the sight of Anna standing there alone made her heart ache unbearably. Snow had begun to fall, and Elsa managed to muster up a small bit of control to confine that snow to her room, where it covered her bedroom floor, her vanity and the large canopy hanging over her bed in a blanket of white._

 _After the funeral, Elsa cleared a bit of snow from her door and sat on the floor against it to prevent her handmaiden from coming in. She clutched the crocus ice sculpture to her chest, but hesitated in saying_ his _name to allow herself a few more seconds to grieve on her own._

 _"Elsa? Please..."_

 _There was no mistaking Anna's voice on the other side of her door, and the absence of the usual cheerful tone almost made Elsa open the door right then and there to hug her sister and assure her that things would be okay. Instead, she pressed a hand over her mouth to keep from sobbing aloud._

 _"People are asking where you've been. I'm right here for you, Elsa…"_

 _Elsa closed her eyes, counting in her head. It usually took almost exactly fifteen seconds for Anna to finally give up and take a hint that Elsa didn't want to come out. This went on every other day for the past several years. This time, Anna remained quiet – hopeful, maybe – and anyone else would have assumed she'd gone, but there was no mistaking the presence that still lingered just outside her door._

 _"Do you wanna build a snowman?" Anna asked quietly, and remained silent afterward._

 _A snowman, Elsa thought as she glanced around the room. The snow continued to fall as she sat there, clutching the crocus with Anna's presence lingering for a while longer before she heard soft footsteps make their way down the corridor._

 _"Jack Frost,._

 _"I was hoping you'd call," came the soft reply of her old friend._

 _Elsa opened her eyes and met his, staring back at her with an expression that told her she didn't have to explain what happened. At the age of eighteen, Elsa had begun to think she was getting a bit old for imaginary friends – although 'imaginary' wasn't exactly what Jack was. For three years or so, Elsa had tucked the small ice sculpture away, focusing on her studies and keeping herself occupied with history, grammar and overall preparing for the day her parents would have to pass the crown down to her. However, at the end of the day, she was lonely. She'd look forward to Anna's continuous attempts to get her to come outside and enjoy being a teenager for once. Elsa wanted desperately to call upon Jack in those years, but kept from doing so in an attempt to grow up. And now, despite all she'd done to prevent these meetings, here she was, face to face with the one constant in her life._

 _"You look so young." It was the first thing that came to mind. The last thing she wanted to talk about was the death of her parents._

 _No, not death. Disappearance, more like._

 _Her attempt at striking up a conversation made the snow halt, at least._

 _A small smile tugged at his lips as he sat in front of her. "The tables have turned, I suppose. I was starting to think you no longer believed in me."_

 _"I was trying not to. I thought I had a lot of growing up to do, but now…" Elsa swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. "…Now it feels like I'm being forced to grow up much too fast."_

 _"Funny how that works, isn't it?" He muttered. "All it takes is one split second and the next thing you know, you're no longer who you once were."_

 _Elsa's brows knit together as she stared at him, realizing she knew so little about Jack. "Is this who you always were, Jack?"_

 _"I don't think so." He replied softly, running his hands over his wooden staff and glancing out the window. "Being Jack Frost is all I know, but there's a part of me that knows I used to be someone else. It sounds strange, but…I'm sorry I don't have much to offer."_

 _"You're everything I could ever hope for, Jack." She gave a faint smile. "You're my very best friend."_

 _"And you are mine…your majesty."_

 _"Please don't." Elsa winced. She didn't feel deserving of the title just yet and it was still much too soon._

 _"Forgive me…" Jack tucked a loose strand of silver hair behind his ear before clearing his throat and smiling. Is there anything you'd like to do, princess? Build a snowman, maybe?"_

 _Elsa shook her head. "I'd just like you to sit with me, if that's all right."_

 _"Of course. But there might be a better place to do that."_

 _She looked at him in confusion. "What?"_

 _Jack stood and strolled over to her window and opening it with a wave of his staff. He gripped the windowsill and held a hand out. "If you're not afraid of flying, I can show you the best view of the moon. We'll sit all night if you'd like."_

 _Elsa sat there for a moment and pondered whether leaving the castle with an imaginary friend was the best idea, but pushed those doubts aside and stood. What did she have to lose? She made her way over to her window and took his hand. "Let's go."_

* * *

"You like him, don't you?"

Ellie jumped and cursed herself for staring. Jake had come by after school as he always did, but was pulled aside by a student who seemed to have a few questions in regard to a homework assignment.

Not that she was eavesdropping.

A week had passed and their morning meetings became a regular thing. In addition to being the backroom stockperson, Chris had taken the early shift to polish his inventory-counting skills, as he'd put it. Once Ellie was settled in at work, she passed the time by finding small chores – polishing napkin holders and mopping every nook in the small shop until the after-school rush came about. The high schoolers were usually let out first, followed by the younger students, and as the line died down, she spotted Jake beaming at the door, waiting for is scoop of Rocky Road. Ellie would then argue that _this_ scoop was on the house and he would politely refuse, adding a tip for good measure while Chris stood by and watched with a stupid grin on his face.

She tossed a rag at Chris. "Go wipe a table or something. I'm not paying you to stand around."

"Oh, you totally like him," he laughed and made his way over to a booth that needed a good wipe-down.

 _God, I can't stand that kid_ , Ellie thought as a smile tugged at her lips.

"I wonder who you might be," came a young voice, which snapped Ellie out of yet another reverie.

"Oh…hey there, Henry. What were you saying?" She asked as she grabbed a cone and scooped a hefty amount of mint chocolate chip into it. Ellie tended to be a bit stingy with her supplies for the sake of having a clean inventory count, but Henry was such a sweet kid, a little extra wouldn't hurt.

"If you were a storybook princess, who do you think you'd be?" Henry asked. "At least you _look_ like you might be a princess."

 _Odd_. She let out a small chuckle and handed him the cone. "Okay, kid. Just for that, I'll give you this one on the house. It'll be our little secret."

Henry took the cone and thanked her, but remained. "It's a serious question, Ellie."

Okay, maybe she'd humor him. "Oh, I don't know…I've always liked Rapunzel."

"Hmmm." Henry stared at her for a moment as if in deep thought before shaking his head. "Nah, you don't look like a Rapunzel."

"She's more of a queen, don't you think?"

Ellie sighed as Jake cut in, thankful for the interruption but also blushing at his statement.

"Okay, men, I can't give everyone free ice cream." She said quietly.

"And here I thought I'd finally let you."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Rocky Road, right?"

"A queen," Henry muttered as he made his way over to a booth.

Jake grinned and leaned over the counter to watch her. "He's something, isn't he? Sweet kid."

Ellie smiled warmly and nodded. "That he is. A bit surprising given who raised him…" She trailed off and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"No hard feelings. I'm sure a few people share your sentiments. Myself included."

She shrugged as she rinsed off the metal scoop. In reality, Ellie had no right to have any hard feelings toward Madame Mayor. She rarely encountered her, if at all. But there was something about her that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise, and she just couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly.

"So, Miss Snow. I was wondering when you were going to let me take you out on a real date."

Ellie dropped the scoop at Jack's question. "Oh, uh…" She moved to pick it up, only to knock over a sleeve of cups in the process. This was so unlike her.

"Hey, boss, I've got it. Why don't you, uh…take a break?" Chris called from across the room. Great. If he saw it, so did everyone else in the shop.

"I'm fine!" Ellie said as she straightened and cleared her throat. "Uh, well…I work practically everyday until close, you know, so…it may be a little difficult."

Chris gravitated toward them and gave her that stupid smile of his, "Don't worry, sis, I can pull a double this once. You'll have to owe me, though."

Ellie pushed the scoop toward him. "Chris, go wash this, please."

"Got it." He grabbed the scoop and saluted Jake as he made his way toward the back room, but not before calling out. "I think tomorrow at seven should do it!"

"Would that be all right with you?"

How could she say no? The man was a damn poster child for good manners and chivalry, and as hard as she tried to find a flaw, it was damn near impossible. Why was she doing this to herself? Why not just go for it and stop being a recluse for a night?

"Okay – I mean, yes," she nodded, smiling for good measure. "Tomorrow at seven should be fine." Ellie grabbed a notepad that she kept beside the store phone and dug into her apron for a pen before quickly scribbling her address. She realized then that he didn't have her phone number – she didn't really think it necessary to give to him since they saw each other every morning. Ellie slowly wrote her number under her address and ripped the scrap of paper from the notepad before handing it to him. "Don't be late."

"I'm never late," Jake grinned, tucking the piece of paper into his shirt pocket and giving her a wink before putting a couple of bills in the tip jar and making his way out.

"I'm going to kill you, Chris," she muttered under her breath.

"No you won't." And just like that, he magically appeared at her side at the most convenient moment. "You'll thank me some—"

…

"Hmm?" Ellie had begun re-stocking cups to make up for the ones she dropped when she glanced over at Chris to see him staring at the front door with a stunned expression. She followed his gaze and understood. A pretty redhead was making her way inside with a handsome blonde guy who clearly didn't want to be there. She seemed cheerful in comparison to said guy – probably her boyfriend. Ellie thought Chris would take care of their newest customers, but he was reduced to an ogling mute, it seemed.

"Hey there, what can I get for you guys?"

"Hi!" The girl said cheerfully, holding her hand out. Ellie reluctantly took it and found herself smiling in return. "My name's Andy. I was actually coming by to see if you were hiring, perchance?"

Ellie looked back at Chris, who was suddenly very interested in cleaning a spot on the glass ice cream display. A devilish smile crossed her lips. She needed the help, and could afford it based on how well business was, but after his wingman stunt, Ellie thought she'd teach him a lesson.

"As a matter of fact, I am!" Ellie opened a drawer where she normally kept lost-and-found items and grabbed a small manila folder where she kept applications. She handed one over to Andy along with a pen. "Why don't you fill this out, and stick around for an interview when we close?"

"Great!" The redhead seemed genuinely excited as she skipped over to a booth and began filling out the application.

"Really?" Chris whispered. "REALLY?"

"Looks like you may not have to pull a double after all," Ellie winked.


End file.
